Archive for July, 2016

A few hours later, Lucy and I were ensconced inside Sean’s Presidential suit. There were lots of shrimps, bottles of champagne, laughs from the throat, laughs from the gut. Tom Jones, a Welshman to Sean Connery’s Scotsman, serenaded the room from enormous stereo speakers with “What’s New Pussycat?”
Eventually Sean took a seat on the couch between us so we could all study the dinner menu. The shrimp scampi and the vichyssoise, he said, were both a must. Continue reading »

Time for an overdue look at some of the random stuff showing up on tap around Dublin in recent months.
We’ll start with Galway Bay, and their Solemn Black double black IPA has been at large for a couple of months now. I found it when it was still brand new, in The Beer Market. 8.5% ABV and €5.40 for a 33cl glass are your vital statistics. Continue reading »

Mont des Arts. Looking down and (below) looking upas the water flows down the steps

Sat down for lunch in the café at Millstreet Country Park the other day. After all it was time for a break after a couple of hours walking through part of this amazing place, full of surprises, its gardens, water features, walks and bike rides, lakes and ponds, bogs and mountains. And Red Irish deer, of course. Continue reading »

La Stoppa’s Elena Pantaleoni
I wish my wines to live for many years
Elena Pantaleoni is part of the “Triple A” movement; you’ll see the sign on some of her wines. What’s it all about? Mostly, it is against the standardisation of wines, the dumbing down, the loss of variety, of personality, of terroir, of local grapes, of character. Agriculturists, Artisans, Artists. Continue reading »

The Big Red Kitchen are the producers of our current Taste of the Week: Pear and Vanilla Jam. This is their own description: The subtle flavour of the pear is lifted by the Madagascan vanilla in this sweet preserve. Pairs wonderfully with almond scones, or on the side of your cheeseboard. It is spot on; reckon Nicola writes as well as she cooks!

Derry’s Northbound Brewery names most of its beers after their International Bittering Unit levels. I’ve never been a fan of IBUs as a useful measure of anything you can taste, but I suppose it does give some sort of prior impression of a beer.
70 is the highest they’ve gone so far and, unsurprisingly, is the name of an IPA, hopped with Magnum, no less. Despite the implied power it’s just 5.5% ABV and bottle conditioned so pouring out a hazy orange. Continue reading »

Curious Wines is a Cork-based, online wine retailer, with physical stores in both Cork and Naas. Brothers Michael and Matt Kane are the duo behind the name, and I have been a customer for several years now. Last year, I purchased the wine for my sister’s wedding from them, mainly due to their straightforward manner, bulk discount and promise to take back any unopened wine.

Ahhh….. How the passage of time alters our perception of reality. We look backwards through grease splattered glasses and see ourselves biting through crunchy, crispy batter into flavoursome, chunky, freshly caught cod. This fishy delight accompanied by the most delicious ‘crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside’ potato chips. Continue reading »

I made it my new year resolution to make more use of Pifko, the Czech pub on Dublin’s south quays, a place which has been quietly stocking more interesting Czech beers alongside the Urquell, Herold and Kozel. I recently found myself with a bit of time on my hands and a need for some hearty food so I dropped in for some roast pork on bramboráky and a nosy at the taps. Continue reading »

I remember a theory advanced some years ago that Jameson had exhausted the pool of potential Irish whiskey drinkers in the United States. To pursue further growth, it would have to pitch lifestyle rather than product. Think cosmopolitan party lubricant rather than heritage craft spirit.
If that was ever true (and it does fit with some Jameson marketing in recent years), it no longer is.
Craft focus
The re-emphasis on craft began, I think, with Jameson Select Reserve, launched in 2010. Continue reading »

Right in the heart of Cork City is the Farmgate Café. Here, the world meets Cork food, fresh from the nearby seas, local fields and from the English Market downstairs.

As we mingled with customers coming and going last week, we could hear the out of town accents but the loyal locals too were there in force. The Farmgate has managed for more than twenty years to cater for the tastes of both the jet-setter and the native. Continue reading »

Alfred, meanwhile, busied himself in the vegetable garden. … Here, among his asparagus and runner beans, his buckets and hoes, and wearing lederhosen and a loose shirt, Alfred whiled away his mornings, digging the dirt and watering his vegetables…. Alfred also built himself an enormous greenhouse which he named his ‘orangerie’, a reference to the ornate construction dominating the royal palace gardens of Sanssouci, Potsdam, a few kilometres to the south. Continue reading »

Courgettes are like magic beans. You set off for the market. On the way you get conned into handing over your cow for a few small seeds. You return home delighted with your “bargain”, but your mum chucks them out the window in disgust and practically at once they spring forth from the ground and start growing like beanstalks almost before your very eyes! Continue reading »

Three from Colorado’s Ska Brewing today.
There’s a certain sense of rush-job about the branding on the can of True Blonde, the stark canary yellow makes me feel that the brewers may be slightly ashamed of it; that the 5%-er is a commodity beer, designed for nothing more than to fill a space in the line-up. Which is a shame because it’s really rather nice. It’s nearly but not quite clear yellow and has a lovely soft easy-going texture. Continue reading »

When I read that Greene’s Restaurant were offering lunch every day of the week (from 12.30pm), there was no stopping me. Off we headed to 48 MacCurtain Street and soon we were seated at a comfortable table with a great view of the waterfall just outside the window. Soon though we were concentrating on the menu rather then the view, €21.50 for two courses, €24.50 for three. Continue reading »

The monthly sales at O’Brien’s are always worth a look. I’m afraid I was a little late getting to Douglas this time. But the bottles I wanted were still there and here are three of them, from a great selection of close to one hundred! Check them out here. Continue reading »

I thought I’d missed out on Jack Cody’s last-but-one beer completely for this year. There was none to be had at Bloom in the Park, nor any when I visited the brewery back in the spring. It’s a neat little operation on the outskirts of Drogheda – a 10hL system, doing a double brewday twice a week, employing solely whole leaf hops and shipping about 90% of its output in bottles. Thanks to Geoff for showing us around (and giving us a lift back to town). Continue reading »

A traditional Sunday roast, rich Greek moussaka, a warming bowl of Irish Stew. They'd all be nothing without delicious, tasty lamb. It's not just for special occasions or celebration meals – there's a multitude of lamb cuts which are quick, simple and very easy to cook. Given how busy our lives have become, anything which gives us a chance to create something delicious in moments has to be worth a try.

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This November The Great Irish Bake is back and Kitchen Hero Donal Skehan is helping out with sharing recipes and promoting the event. The Great Irish Bake is in aid of helping sick and seriously ill children get the treatment they need. Head over to The Great Irish Bake to register online and be in the chance of winning a trip to New York when you help raise funds for Temple Street Children’s University Hospital. The site also has hints, tips, recipes and all that goes with an event like this.

This is the Facebook for The Great Irish Bake and of course the Twitter hashtag is: #thegreatirishbake

The Great Irish Bake organisers have shared a recipe with us and also a picture of Donal Skehan with his kids from his first marriage. Some of this might be a lie.

The Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. In a standalone mixture beat together the butter and sugar. Add in the egg and
mix through.
3. Using a wooden spoon mix through the flour, baking powder, salt, mixed spice
and vanilla extract until you have a biscuit dough.
4. Turn the dough out on to a floured surface and roll out to about 1cm in thickness.
5. Cut out biscuit shapes, place on the lined baking tray, then using a smaller cutter
or a small knife cut out the center of each cookie.
6. Sprinkle the crushed sweets into the centre of the cookie and place in the oven
7. Cook in the oven for about 15 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before transferring to a wire
wrack.

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